Henry holden



H. HOLDEN.

Torpedo. No. 49,474 Patented Aug. 15,1865.

. UNITED S ATES HENRY HOLDEN, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO jilMSELF AND JOHN E. STOW, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEDTORPEDO.

' Specification l'orming'pnrt of Letters Patent No. 49,413. dated August 15, 1365.

v To all whom it may concern;

' Be it known that 1, 111mm HOLDEN, of the' city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Torpedo; and l do hcrebydcclure that thc lbllowingis n'full, clear, and cxaot'descriptioir thereof, which will enable lhoseskilledin the art to nnike and use the same,'reference being had to the accompanyingdra'wings, forming part ol'th is specification, in which Figurel represents a plan of this invention when unfolded and ready to be exploded. Fig. 2 is a transverse section oi the same.

Similar letters'of reference indicate corresponding parts. f v F This invention consists in it torpedo made of",

it plain sheet of pnper or other absorbent inatcri-(tl, which is wholly or partially saturated with a solution offnlm inute of silver, or ot'merca ry, in such a manner that ut'ter drying the fibers or pores of the paper or other absorbent material are tilled with fnlminnte, and a slight blow or pressure with a hard substance causes the same-to explode with considerable noise. Arepresen ts eshcetof paper-thick soft blotting-paper being used by prel'crence-which 1 cut in the shape of a polygon or circle, so that the ean'iecan be readily folded in n smallcom pass for packing and sending. I do not wish to confine myself, however, to any particular shape of the sheet of paper. Neither do I 'restrict myself to the use of a particular kind of material. The sheet A,I immerse in e hydrated solution of fulminate of silver, which i use in preference to l'ulminate of mercury, and after lif has been thoroughly saturated therewith I hang it up or lnyit on a flat bmird for drying; or, instead of immersing, the \vholcsheegonly a portion of the same may be saturated by folding it up and pouring a quantity of the solutiouiutoitorinanyothersuitubiemanner. Af-

terthesatnrnted-sheethas been dried thetorpedo is ready. ltexplodes, when struck with at small pebbleor other hard substance, with great noise without the least dnnger to surrounding objectsnend the manufacture oi my torpedoes can be effected without danger oi n explosion, since the t'ulminate is employed in solution, and consequently in such a state that it spew taneous explosion is impossible. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent t A torpedo made of a. sheet otubscrbeut ma terial saturated wholly or partially with s solution of fulminateot' silver or ot'inrcury, substantially as and For the purpose set forth.

. HENRY HOLDEN. Witnesses: i

W. HAUFF, I M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

